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Just to clarify. I certainly listen to my users. I may even err too much on the side of adding everything they ask for, leading to a more complicated product. (

Just to clarify. I certainly listen to my users. I may even err too much on the side of adding everything they ask for, leading to a more complicated product. (e.g. here are the completed items on Readlang's uservoice page: https://readlang.uservoice.com/forums/192149-general/status/894711 https://readlang.uservoice.com/forums/192149-general/status/..., and more suggestions come in via private channels too) The thing is choosing which users to listen to. For now, I've decided to make an awesome tool for individual learners. So I'm listening more to them, as well as my own gut feeling.

dimgl 11y ago
You should listen to haggy. He's correct about considering features that your users want. In this case, if you're looking to make the big bucks then expanding to businesses is a great route (the businesses would be your users). I understand that you made this for yourself but you don't have to sacrifice the freemium feel while still offering commercial services to businesses.
- antoniuschan99 11y ago
  I agree. Have you looked spoken with businesses? B2B is a lot easier than B2C. I've also fell into the trap of 'building for myself'. I kind of think that's bullshit. Sure you might start an idea to solve your own itch, but I feel like 'building for myself' is akin to falling in love with the solution vs falling in love with the problem. You need to be building for paying customers (especially if you're bootstrapping). Would it be too hard to add more features and slap on a 'Pro' or 'Business version'? Also, any possibility of licensing or 'white labeling' your solution? It's great that your revenues are going up though. I wish you good luck on your venture!
  - steveridout 11y ago
    I did develop some features for teachers and got a few of them using it with their classes. Despite a few shows of interest, no-one actually paid anything for it. On top of that, they wanted a bunch of features that would take my time in development and support, leading to a weaker product for individuals. Creating a product for schools and businesses requires creating: 1. A great experience for the learners. 2. A great experience for the administrators and teachers. I'm focussed on part 1, and building a business around it selling direct to individuals. I can always add part 2 later.
- heavenlyhash 11y ago
  > You should listen to haggy. He's correct Hm, I must have missed the part of the original post which says "Gosh, I'm so happy to live in a black and white world where my only motivation is monetary." steveridout, go you. You're quietly making the world the kind of place you want it to be. You're an inspiration.
  - cdelsolar 11y ago
    Yet the post largely focuses on the money he's made?
  - rwallace 11y ago
    No, you missed the part of the original post which says that the author is poorer than a minimum wage worker in McDonald's, and is quite unhappy about that state of affairs. Which is a pity, because that was the largest and most conspicuous part of the post. There is nothing inspiring about living in poverty, particularly when it would be quite avoidable if one would only stop listening to inaccurate gut feelings. That having been said, if the author has actually made a considered decision that, when all the tradeoffs are taken into account, poverty is what he wants, that is by all means his decision to make. But it's not clear from what he's written so far that this really is his considered decision, so the advice is worth giving.
- webmasterraj 11y ago
  Oh HN and unsolicited startup advice. A blog post and 2 minutes and you've pattern matched your way to a solution. Bravo. Dear OP, please ignore all this sage advice from people in cushy tech jobs telling you what you should do with your baby. Life is hard. We never know if we're making the right decisions. But it sounds like you have a clear vision that is driving you - that is priceless. Don't sell it away for the smart "business" move, when you already know what you should be doing.
  - dimgl 11y ago
    > [OP] I’ve worked hard for 3 years and am still making less than minimum wage. > But it sounds like you have a clear vision that is driving you I merely suggested that he consider expanding to businesses. I'm in no position to give advice about how to run a business but why not try? "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
  - true_religion 11y ago
    It's interesting that you use the phrase 'sell it away'. That's exactly what one should be doing as a business. I stumbled my way into product-market fit by designing something that was useful to me personally, and finding that actual profitability was in the mainstream--- people who were my exact opposites in terms of tastes but still strained to use my product for themselves because it was the only thing serving a similar need. Right now they are 98% of my client base and I struggle with the fact that I don't intuitively understand their needs. I don't have a clear vision, and instead have to do user research on a constant basis. It took me seven years to reach that point. For the first 7 years, I was ramen profitable--certainly nothing to quit a day job about. On year 7, I made a single switch and within 1 year earned 3x the previous years revenue. The 2nd year, I earned 10x the pre-pivot revenue. I went from being able to feed myself (barely), to being able to buy a house and support a family. Is that a fair trade off, I think it is... but your mileage may vary. I see the 'don't sell out' motivation from a lot of small business owners in my community. For another example, there is... well was... a small greek chicken joint that operated for 15 years nearby. The owner was 1st generation american, and all he wanted to do was cook his family recipes and share them with the community. Problem is the community changed in the past decade, going from being mostly European-heritage to N. African nationals. His customer base dwindled, and he never changed his stance of doing what he loved. A month after his restaurant closed, it was replaced with one which served all halal chicken and is now jam packed with more customers than any other business sees. It's success has convinced the owner to expand leftwards into another collapsing business. Point is... the path to profitability is finding a customer base willing to pay you. It's not important to have a clear vision, if that vision only involves a small number of people.
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]

dimgl 11y ago

You should listen to haggy. He's correct about considering features that your users want. In this case, if you're looking to make the big bucks then expanding to businesses is a great route (the businesses would be your users). I understand that you made this for yourself but you don't have to sacrifice the freemium feel while still offering commercial services to businesses.

antoniuschan99 11y ago
I agree. Have you looked spoken with businesses? B2B is a lot easier than B2C. I've also fell into the trap of 'building for myself'. I kind of think that's bullshit. Sure you might start an idea to solve your own itch, but I feel like 'building for myself' is akin to falling in love with the solution vs falling in love with the problem. You need to be building for paying customers (especially if you're bootstrapping). Would it be too hard to add more features and slap on a 'Pro' or 'Business version'? Also, any possibility of licensing or 'white labeling' your solution? It's great that your revenues are going up though. I wish you good luck on your venture!
- steveridout 11y ago
  I did develop some features for teachers and got a few of them using it with their classes. Despite a few shows of interest, no-one actually paid anything for it. On top of that, they wanted a bunch of features that would take my time in development and support, leading to a weaker product for individuals. Creating a product for schools and businesses requires creating: 1. A great experience for the learners. 2. A great experience for the administrators and teachers. I'm focussed on part 1, and building a business around it selling direct to individuals. I can always add part 2 later.
heavenlyhash 11y ago
> You should listen to haggy. He's correct Hm, I must have missed the part of the original post which says "Gosh, I'm so happy to live in a black and white world where my only motivation is monetary." steveridout, go you. You're quietly making the world the kind of place you want it to be. You're an inspiration.
- cdelsolar 11y ago
  Yet the post largely focuses on the money he's made?
- rwallace 11y ago
  No, you missed the part of the original post which says that the author is poorer than a minimum wage worker in McDonald's, and is quite unhappy about that state of affairs. Which is a pity, because that was the largest and most conspicuous part of the post. There is nothing inspiring about living in poverty, particularly when it would be quite avoidable if one would only stop listening to inaccurate gut feelings. That having been said, if the author has actually made a considered decision that, when all the tradeoffs are taken into account, poverty is what he wants, that is by all means his decision to make. But it's not clear from what he's written so far that this really is his considered decision, so the advice is worth giving.
webmasterraj 11y ago
Oh HN and unsolicited startup advice. A blog post and 2 minutes and you've pattern matched your way to a solution. Bravo. Dear OP, please ignore all this sage advice from people in cushy tech jobs telling you what you should do with your baby. Life is hard. We never know if we're making the right decisions. But it sounds like you have a clear vision that is driving you - that is priceless. Don't sell it away for the smart "business" move, when you already know what you should be doing.
- dimgl 11y ago
  > [OP] I’ve worked hard for 3 years and am still making less than minimum wage. > But it sounds like you have a clear vision that is driving you I merely suggested that he consider expanding to businesses. I'm in no position to give advice about how to run a business but why not try? "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
- true_religion 11y ago
  It's interesting that you use the phrase 'sell it away'. That's exactly what one should be doing as a business. I stumbled my way into product-market fit by designing something that was useful to me personally, and finding that actual profitability was in the mainstream--- people who were my exact opposites in terms of tastes but still strained to use my product for themselves because it was the only thing serving a similar need. Right now they are 98% of my client base and I struggle with the fact that I don't intuitively understand their needs. I don't have a clear vision, and instead have to do user research on a constant basis. It took me seven years to reach that point. For the first 7 years, I was ramen profitable--certainly nothing to quit a day job about. On year 7, I made a single switch and within 1 year earned 3x the previous years revenue. The 2nd year, I earned 10x the pre-pivot revenue. I went from being able to feed myself (barely), to being able to buy a house and support a family. Is that a fair trade off, I think it is... but your mileage may vary. I see the 'don't sell out' motivation from a lot of small business owners in my community. For another example, there is... well was... a small greek chicken joint that operated for 15 years nearby. The owner was 1st generation american, and all he wanted to do was cook his family recipes and share them with the community. Problem is the community changed in the past decade, going from being mostly European-heritage to N. African nationals. His customer base dwindled, and he never changed his stance of doing what he loved. A month after his restaurant closed, it was replaced with one which served all halal chicken and is now jam packed with more customers than any other business sees. It's success has convinced the owner to expand leftwards into another collapsing business. Point is... the path to profitability is finding a customer base willing to pay you. It's not important to have a clear vision, if that vision only involves a small number of people.

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]